


More than Meets the Eye

by necromancy_enthusiast



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, First Meetings, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Golden Deer Dorothea Arnault, Ignatz and Raphael feature majorly in one scene but that's about it, Mental Health Issues, Mentioned Golden Deer Students (Fire Emblem), Minor Character Death, Self-Esteem Issues, Social Commentary, there are some dead bodies but they're not described in detail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26238802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/necromancy_enthusiast/pseuds/necromancy_enthusiast
Summary: Dorothea Arnault, formerly of the Black Eagles, joins the Golden Deer house. It turns out that despite their differences, she and Leonie have a lot of commonalities as well, and they're quick to develop a friendship that grows throughout their year at the academy. Even after they're suddenly torn apart by circumstances far beyond their control, they fall back into step easily when their class reunites five years later, and Leonie contemplates the exact nature of their relationship.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Leonie Pinelli
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18
Collections: 2020 Ultra Rarepair Big Bang





	More than Meets the Eye

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to @snazzyred on Twitter for creating such a beautiful accompanying piece of art. Their profile is linked below the art.

Today, the Golden Deer house was getting a new member. Professor Byleth had announced it last week, but as usual, they hadn’t been particularly descriptive, having only mentioned it off-handedly one day right before dismissing their students from class. But now was the time for their new classmate to join them. Everyone had reacted to the news differently, some intrigued by the idea, others nervous. As for Leonie, who sat at her desk staring off into the distance as she drummed her fingers on the table, she wasn’t sure what to think. All she really knew was that her new classmate’s name was Dorothea Arnault, she’d started off as a Black Eagle, and apparently she was a good singer. That was virtually nothing to go on. She could’ve been the sweetest girl in the world or the most vile, vitriolic student the academy had ever known. But Leonie, never one to allow anything go to waste, still tried to glean as much as she could.

The naming convention meant that she was almost certainly a commoner. So, Leonie felt as though that made her at least slightly less likely to be the kind to look down on others due to their upbringing or social standing. But then again, there were plenty of things to be cruel about, so she didn’t let that lull her into a state of potentially false security. After all, it’s not as if that wasn’t the only thing Leonie had been mocked for at the Academy.

But she reminded herself that that didn’t make it alright to preemptively lash out. It’d already happened due to a misunderstanding with Marianne, who was one of the sweetest girls Leonie had ever met, and among the least deserving. Leonie had apologized and they’d been able to become friends, but she wouldn’t have blamed Marianne if she hadn’t forgiven her. She didn’t like distrusting other girls on instinct, so she reminded herself to go into the situation as neutrally as possible and let Dorothea make the first move. Then she’d act accordingly, but not based on her immediate, visceral emotions. She didn’t want to hurt someone else because she’d been too quick to try and prevent herself from getting hurt again.

Then, Professor Byleth walked into the room, followed by a girl with long, reddish-brown hair and a hat. Everyone looked to the front of the classroom as Byleth and the girl stood there.

“Good morning everyone,” Byleth said. “This is your new classmate, Dorothea Arnault.”

Dorothea smiled and waved. “It’s so nice to meet you all. Well, those of you I didn’t already know.”

“Would you like to tell the class about yourself?” Byleth asked.

“Well,” she began. “I like to sing and dance. I’m a mage, primarily.” she smiled. “I’m looking forward to being a member of the Golden Deer.”

“Thank you, Dorothea. Sit wherever you’d like.”

Dorothea scanned the room, her eyes settling on Leonie. Dorothea walked over to the empty seat beside her and met her gaze. Her smile seemed easy, natural… For now, at least. _That’s a good sign,_ Leonie reminded herself. _It doesn’t mean she’s trying to make you let your guard down._ After Dorothea made herself comfortable beside her, Leonie held a hand out to her.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Leonie Pinelli.”

Dorothea took her hand and shook it. “Likewise, Leonie.” Her smile grew. “I hope we can be friends.”

“Me too.”

* * *

As time went on, Leonie learned more about Dorothea. In addition to being a mage, she was good with the sword. Healing magic wasn’t her strong point, but she was good enough to serve as a backup to Marianne. Instead of healing, she excelled at long distance reason magic, calling about and casting lightning like it was nothing.

For most people, she was easy to get along with, unless you happened to be a particularly snobby noble (Lorenz was the only one out of her new classmates she seemed to outright dislike). However, she ended up gravitating towards Leonie, Ignatz, and Raphael, who had already found themselves falling in with one another. They’d all naturally gotten along well from the beginning (minus the awkwardness of Ignatz’s guilt complex about Raphael’s parents, but by now that had largely cleared up), but Leonie wondered if it was also because they were all commoners in a school mostly populated by nobles.

Dorothea would often sit with them at meals, sometimes bringing along one or two of her former classmates, sometimes coming by herself. She was naturally open to conversation, so it wasn’t too hard getting to know her.

“So Dorothea, what’s Enbarr like?” Raphael asked after he’d settled himself at their table with a plate piled high with enough food to satisfy all three of his companions.

“Oh, it depends on who you ask, really. Some say it’s the pearl of the Empire; elegant, refined, brimming with historical intrigue and sophistication. Others say it’s a scummy trap where the rich get richer and the poor struggle to get bread on the table. Personally, I’ve seen both sides, but it’s hard to overlook it’s less savory aspects even with all the opulence. Sometimes it feels like painting the face of a beast and passing it off as a beautiful young dame ready for betrothal.”

“Wow,” Ignatz said. “It’s terrible how people act like they’re better than others because they have more money.” He sighed. “I hope I never end up like that.”

“Oh Iggy, you’re nothing like those two-faced nobles in Enbarr. You’re very honest for one, and I can’t imagine you ever being unkind to someone, especially based on something like social status.”

“Of course not! I’d want everyone to be polite to me, so it’d be pretty hypocritical if I was disrespectful but expected others to treat me differently.”

Dorothea sighed. “The world would be a much nicer, easier place to be if more people were like you. So don’t worry. Your family may be rich, but you’re a good person.”

Ignatz averted his gaze. “Oh, you don’t have to shower me with praise like that! I’m just doing what everyone should do. I shouldn’t be considered special for it.”

“I’m just telling the truth, Iggy.”

“But wait,” Raphael piped up. “What about all your old classmates? They’re all nobles and the ones I’ve talked to seem nice to me.”

“Well yes, they are for the most part, it’s not like I think every single noble in the world is evil or something,” Dorothea replied. “But I’ve dealt with a lot of nobles Raphie, and I never forget a face. You’d be surprised how differently they treated me when I was a street urchin than when I became a rising songstress. It’s sickening, and even if _most_ of my old classmates are outliers,” Leonie took note of the emphasis Dorothea put on ‘most’, but decided to file it away for now. It would come up later if it needed to. “And they are genuinely kind and welcoming people, it’s hard to relate to them sometimes.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Raphael said. “I guess there are a lot more rich commoners in Leicester than in Adrestia. My family was never as well-off as Iggy’s, but you know, we were plenty comfortable. But me and Iggy feel kinda set apart from the nobles in our class too, even though they’re all real’ nice people!”

Dorothea looked a bit questioning. “You think Lorenz is nice?”

“Well yeah, he can be kinda hard to get sometimes, but he cares, and he tries to do his best by people.” Dorothea’s expression didn’t change for a moment as she glanced at Leonie, who managed to suppress a chuckle, and then Dorothea changed the subject. “But I don’t get it Raphie. You’ve never said your family was well off before, didn’t you have to pay most of your money just to get here? And you said you couldn’t afford new uniforms that fit you, did something happen?”

“Well, yeah. Things got kinda complicated after my parents died. My granddad’s pretty old and he couldn’t help too much with the business, my sister Maya is just a little kid, and I’m not smart enough for that kinda thing, so we decided it’d just be best to sell it and use the funds to keep us afloat. That and pay my tuition here so I can become a knight.”

“My, that’s terrible,” Dorothea said. Raphael shrugged and smiled.

“It is what it is, might as well make the best of the situation, right?”

Ignatz spoke. “I’m still really sorry my family didn’t help yours.”

“Hey,” Raphael said. Ignatz looked back at him, a bit caught off guard by the stern, yet well-meaning look Raphael gave him. “I told you before Iggy, it’s not your fault. You didn’t have any say in it, and I’m not gonna let you start feeling bad about yourself again, so forget it, okay? I’m just happy we’re friends again.”

Ignatz chuckled a bit nervously. “Right, sorry.”

Raphael smiled again. “Don’t worry about it!” he said, slapping Ignatz on the back, realizing a bit too late that he’d possibly overdone it a tad when Ignatz winced in surprise. “Uhh, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Ignatz said, but even if he was smiling, his eyes made it evident that he was still in pain.

“So Leelee, what about you?” Dorothea asked. They all turned to Leonie, who’d been taking in what they were saying more than thinking about what she would say.

Leonie shrugged. “I grew up in a village in a poor region of Leicester. It could be tough sometimes, but we always made it through alright. I guess it’s easier for commoners from Leicester to get into the academy than ones from the Empire, as long as you have the money, anyway. Still, I had to save up and borrow a lot from my village, and get all these recommendations from a bunch of nobles. It’s ridiculous what hoops you have to jump through just to be considered if you don’t have the money.”

Dorothea gave her a knowing look. “Tell me about it. I don’t even remember how many nobles I had to sweet talk to get here.” She sighed, but smiled. “It’s so nice to have people in my class who know where I’m coming from. Most everyone in the Black Eagles are decent people, but they’re all nobles that have always been in the highest echelons of society since birth. Even Petra’s a princess. A down to earth one, and a very sweet girl, but a princess nonetheless.”

“I wonder how it is in Faerghus,” Leonie said. “Do you know if the Blue Lions house has any commoners this year?”

“One I think,” Ignatz said. “That really, really tall guy named Dedue. But that’s it as far as I know.”

“Well, I think it’s safe to say things are set up in the nobles’ favor even here,” Dorothea said. “So that’s why we have to stick together.” She scanned the dining room until her eyes rested on Dedue. “Is that him?” she asked as she subtly motioned towards him. Ignatz turned a bit to glance at where she’d indicated before quickly turning back.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“You think he’d sit with us if we invited him?”

“I don’t know,” Ignatz said. “I’ve talked to him a couple times and he seems really shy, he keeps to himself a lot, Plus he’s always sitting with the prince, so I don’t know how he’d feel about it.”

“Hmmmm…” Dorothea intoned, staring at him for a moment longer before turning back to her companions. “I’ll try and work my charm on him later. But until then, I look forward to getting to know the three of you better.”

“Aw, thanks Dorothea! You’re a real stand up gal!” Raphael said.

“Likewise,” Ignatz added.

“Me too!” Leonie said.

When Dorothea directed her gaze at Leonie, she twirled some of her hair around her finger as her smile took on a feature that looked to be a bit… Coquettish? Then she returned her hand to resting on the table and looked over the three of them.

“I can already tell I’m going to enjoy the rest of this year,” she said.

* * *

Something Leonie noticed pretty early on was that Dorothea dated around a lot. Leonie didn’t have anything against that, it’s not like she was hurting anyone, but Dorothea always seemed to have such a full schedule.

“Don’t you get tired going out so much?” Leonie asked one day while they studied in the library together. “Seems exhausting to me, it feels like you never have any downtime.”

Dorothea gave her that easy smile that made Leonie just an itty, bitty, teeny, tiny bit nervous for some reason. “Oh, I’m used to it, they kept me busy at the opera too. Half of being a professional songstress is being a socialite, sometimes it feels like all a lot of nobles like to do is talk. But like I said, I’m used to it.”

“Well, that’s fine... But you don’t have to do that here if you don’t want to, you know? It’s not like you’re gonna get thrown out of school for having some downtime.”

Dorothea sighed quietly. “No, but what comes after I graduate?”

What Dorothea might do after their time at the academy ended had never really occurred to Leonie before, so she shrugged. “I don’t know. There are a lot of things you could do.”

“Oh Leelee, you have to remember not everyone is as capable as you,” Dorothea chided lightly.

That _really_ confused Leonie. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean we can’t all just go out into the world and be able to take care of ourselves. I certainly can’t.”

“Don’t talk like that, of course you can.”

Dorothea’s gaze grew melancholic, but she still smiled at Leonie. “I’m afraid I can’t, at least not forever. All I really have going for me are my good looks and my voice. Once I get old people’ll lose interest, so I have to find someone who’ll take care of me after that happens now so I won’t have to worry about the future.”

Leonie felt her heart break a bit. “That’s not true! You’ve got plenty of other things going for you, like you’re smart, and funny, and good at magic and dancing, and-”

Dorothea laughed. “That’s so sweet of you, but you don’t need to flatter me.”

“I’m not! It’s all true. You’re capable of way more than you realize, Dorothea.”

Dorothea gave her that same sad smile as before. “I don’t know how, but I must’ve tricked you into thinking that.”

“ _You didn’t,_ ” Leonie emphasized. She took one of Dorothea’s hands into her own and stared at her intensely to the point that Dorothea seemed surprised. “You’re really great, Dorothea. You need to believe in yourself more.”

There was a long silence as the two stared at one another.

“The library closes for the night in half an hour,” called a librarian. Dorothea slowly took her hand from Leonie’s and smiled again, although it was a bit uneasy this time.

“I really do appreciate that you think so highly of me, but I’m afraid of disappointing you,” she said. She began to gather her things. “It’s getting late, and I promised to meet someone not too long from now.” She put her belongings in her cross-body bag and stood. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow, Leonie. You should get some sleep, you seem tired.”

“I... Alright. Don’t stay out too late, okay?” Leonie said.

“I’ll certainly try my best,” Dorothea teased. And with that, she turned and made her way towards the exit. Leonie sat there for a moment, perplexed at how the mood had shifted so quickly and so immensely.

* * *

One day, Leonie and Dorothea were at the training grounds together. Dorothea had wanted to improve her swordwork and not rely so much on levin swords given how rare and fragile they were, and Leonie was happy to oblige her. Leonie herself generally preferred the spear and the bow, but Jeralt had taught her some swordsmanship, and she’d kept up with it ever since. After they’d warmed up with stretches and basic techniques, they decided on a mock duel. It had started out fine, Leonie’s more forward, strength-based techniques an interesting match-up to Dorothea’s quicker, reactionary style helping them both become more versatile with exposure to different fighting styles. But then Leonie took a quick, poorly planned step and fell, managing to land on her hands, but hurting one of her wrists in the process. After Dorothea dropped her training sword and helped her up, she spoke.

“You know I’m not that great with faith magic, but I’m decent at regular first aid, and I can help in a pinch.” She gently reached for Leonie’s wrist. “Here, let me look at it.”

Reflexively, Leonie held it away from her. “Seriously, I’m fine! I’m pretty sure it’s not sprained or anything, it’s not worth making a fuss over.” She bent down to pick up her sword, but when she took it into hand she grimaced. Dorothea frowned slightly.

“Come on, we’re going to the infirmary. I’m not letting you struggle unnecessarily.”

Leonie stood up straight and spoke. “But I-” She stopped short as she looked at Dorothea, knowing from her stern, yet amiable expression that arguing wasn’t going to get her anywhere. So off to the infirmary they went.

Once they opened the door, they saw Professor Manuela with some books in her arms.

“Hi Professor!” Dorothea spoke. Manuela smiled.

“Hello Dorothea. What brings you and your friend here?”

“Leelee hurt her wrist, I’m afraid she might’ve sprained it. I was going to treat it, if that’s alright.”

“Of course dear, you’re a trustworthy girl, and your skills with herbs and wound dressing have improved so much.” Manuela walked towards the door. “I have some things to do in the library, so I’ll leave you two be. If you need my help, I won’t be long.”

And with that, they were alone.

Dorothea turned to Leonie. “Why don’t you go sit at that table in the corner? I just need to gather a few things.” Leonie did as she was told, and after a couple of minutes of rummaging around the room, Dorothea walked over to her with supplies in hand. She sat down across from Leonie and slowly held her hands out. “Come on, I don’t bite.” Leonie forfeited her wrist to Dorothea, who took it gently and looked it over. Dorothea spoke again. “I’m gonna take your glove off, alright?” Leonie nodded, and Dorothea did so, setting it down on the table next to her.

After asking a few questions, Dorothea then asked Leonie to rest her elbow on the table with her wrist elevated. Then, Dorothea treated the wrist with a splint and compress.

“Does that feel alright?” she asked after she’d finished.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Leonie said.

Dorothea smiled. “Good. Now, we have to make sure you heal as quickly as possible and make it less likely this’ll happen again. You know faith magic that could heal you almost instantly is reserved for severe wounds due to its... Tendency to cause severe pain and the potentially traumatic effects which stem from it.” She held up a small compress and placed it over Leonie’s wrist, it was cool to the touch. “You should ice your wrist three or four times a day for about twenty minutes at a time for the next three days, it’ll keep the swelling down. Then you can do it less if you want to, but if the swelling acts up, ice it again. Try and keep your wrist raised above your heart when that won’t be a serious inconvenience, that’ll help with the swelling too. Of course, you’re going to have to rest it as much as possible, so you probably can’t train with weapons for at least a week.”

“ _What?_ ” Leonie said.

“It’s for the best, Leonie. I know how important keeping in top form and improving your skills is to you, but think of it like this; the better you rest your wrist now, the faster it’ll heal, and the better quality of training you’ll be able to get after, alright?”

Leonie sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. I just hate the idea of sitting around while everyone else is getting ahead of me.”

“It’ll only be for a week or so if you do what I said, so I doubt you’ll fall behind. And even if you do, knowing you, you’d make up for it in no time at all.”

Leonie chuckled. “Thanks.” Then she turned her head off to the side and frowned again. “Still, though.”

“You shouldn’t feel guilty about slowing down to take care of yourself,” Dorothea said.

“It was my fault anyway.”

“Leelee, it was just something that happened by chance. You shouldn’t blame yourself for it.”

Leonie shrugged. “I guess.”

“If I hadn’t been there you probably wouldn’t have come, would you? At least not until it became such a big problem that you couldn’t ignore it anymore.”

Leonie said nothing, and sometimes, nothing says more than words ever could.

“Leonie.” Leonie looked back at Dorothea, who gave her the same stern expression as the one that brought Leonie here in the first place, the one that left no room for argument without coming off as demanding or bossy. “You have to take care of yourself.”

“I know, but…” Leonie tried to think of something to counter with, but came up empty.

“You know, I heard from Lorenz that this has occurred before.”

“Oh.”

“He said that you hurt your ankle but he had to pester you into letting him help you.”

Leonie was silent for a moment as Dorothea stared at her. Finally, she spoke. “I just don’t like having to rely on other people, you know? I can take care of myself.”

Dorothea’s stern expression gave way to a more melancholic gaze. “No one can get by without help from others, there’s no shame in that.”

Leonie _knew_ she was right, and yet...

“I’m really tired, Dorothea. I’m going to go rest in my room, alright? I appreciate your help.” With that she stood.

Dorothea seemed like she wanted to say something else, but decided to let it go. “Rest well and take it easy.”

Leonie nodded before turning around and walking out of the infirmary. She clutched her wrist, hoping it wouldn’t take too long to heal.

* * *

One day well after the incident in the infirmary, Leonie was checking on her vegetables in the greenhouse. After some time spent in solitude tending to her plants, she heard Dorothea call out to her.

“Hey Leelee!”

Leonie looked over her shoulder at Dorothea and smiled. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to come look at all the plants, they really are amazing.”

Leonie wiped the sweat from her brow. “Yeah, they are. I kinda wished they used it for more practical plants, though. They have a lot of medicinal herbs, but I mean more along the lines of vegetables.” She stood and dusted the soil from her skirt. “So I’ve been planting a bunch myself.”

Dorothea walked closer to survey Leonie’s work.

“Oooh, what kinds?”

“I’ve got a nice variety here.” She pointed at a small patch populated by several specimens of the same species. “Those are carrots,” she pointed to another patch. “Potatoes…”

She went on identifying all the things she’d planted, and what she planned to do with them, Dorothea drinking it all in.

“And that’s about it I think,” Leonie said.

“My, you really do know a lot about gardening.”

Leonie smiled and rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. “Aw, it’s nothing special, I grew up with it. Merchants don’t come through my hometown a whole lot, so we had to grow and catch our own food.”

“Still, that’s a really great skill to have. You can take care of yourself, Leelee. I admire that.”

Leonie remembered that time in the library when Dorothea had admitted that she didn’t believe in her own ability to depend on herself.

“Well, I try my best,” she said. “You know, I can teach you some stuff if you want.”

Dorothea looked a bit surprised, but she smiled again. “Sure, I’d love to.”

They both sat on their knees, Leonie showing Dorothea the proper way to plant seeds, how to tend to sprouts, when and how to harvest different plants. Dorothea seemed genuinely interested, picking it all up with ease.

“You don’t get much of this sort of thing in Enbarr,” she said. “But I can just imagine the scandal. ‘ _Former Mittelfrank Star Makes Landfall into Agrarianism_ ’.”

Leonie laughed long and loud. “It’s still so weird to me that that sort of thing is considered kind of uncouth for girls. Everyone in Sauin did it and no one made a fuss.”

“That sounds nice,” Dorothea replied. “When I got picked up as a songstress, I had to be the perfect damsel. Always perfectly made up and impeccably dressed, always graceful and sociable. And if I wasn’t, the nobles saw it as an indication of poor character.”

“That’s so stupid, why does it even matter?”

“Oh, you know how they are, they have to keep up the facade that they’re special because of their bloodline, and that makes them better than commoners.” She sighed. “I still have to take that into consideration here, even if not to the same extent.”

“Why?” Leonie asked. “Oh, wait... Because you want to find a noble to marry so they’ll take care of you when you grow old.”

“Well, yes.”

“I still think you should give yourself more credit, Dorothea.”

Dorothea shrugged. “Sure, I can sing and dance, and I’m good with reason magic, but at the end of the day, that won’t keep me alive. A lot of my appeal is my looks, and once those are gone, people will stop caring, no matter how good I am at all those things.”

“Dorothea, just because you get older doesn’t mean you won’t be pretty anymore.”

“Well, that’s certainly what a lot of people think. You know how it is, a lot of a girl’s worth is based on how attractive they’re considered to be, so it goes down as we get older. I didn’t make those rules, but I have to play by them. This is even more emphasized by nobles in Adrestia, so that’s why I have to find someone as soon as possible. I don’t want to go back to the streets, Leelee. I _can’t_.”

“Well... You’re right, we are judged on how pretty we look a lot, but your looks aren’t all you have going for you!”

Dorothea laughed sadly. “Just a bunch of things that won’t help me much in the end. You know Leelee, I really admire you.”

Leonie’s eyebrows arched as her eyes widened somewhat. “Me? Why?”

“You’re so tough and resourceful. You’re skilled at so many things; archery, melee weapons, equestrianism, farming, hunting, fishing... You really can take care of yourself regardless of your situation. And you don’t care what others think of you, you don’t have to rely on your beauty.”

Leonie felt her cheeks warm up a bit. “You think I’m pretty?”

“Well of course I do, anyone with eyes can see that.”

“I don’t know, if you’re right, then I guess a lot of people around here are blind, and I kind of doubt that.”

“What do other people have to do with it?”

“Well... A lot of girls here have made fun of me for being ‘mannish’ and looking like a tomboy.”

“What? _Really_?” Dorothea crossed her arms and huffed indignantly. “That’s ridiculous, and what’s the point of being mean like that? Ugh.”

Leonie shrugged.

“Actually, I know. They’re spiteful, small-minded people that aren’t worth your time.”

“It’s hard to not take it to heart when they’re kinda right.”

“What do you mean?”

Leonie sighed. “I’m _the tough girl_ , you know? But a lot of the time it feels like people forget the ‘girl’ part, and I don’t know, it gets tiresome. Sometimes I wish things were different, that it was easier to get people to see me as anything but the tough girl.”

“Wow,” Dorothea said. “I never would’ve guessed that. But I think people have a hard time seeing past the ‘tough’ part too because you’re so afraid of relying on anyone else since you think it makes you weak.”

Leonie said nothing to that. Really, what could she say?

Dorothea laughed self-deprecatingly. “Look at us, ‘the grass is greener on the other side’ and all that, huh?”

“Yeah, it is kinda funny if you think of it like that.”

Dorothea gently placed a hand on Leonie’s shoulder. “You know what?”

“What?”

“I think we balance each other out really well, given our respective insecurities and all. We could learn a lot from each other, you know.”

Leonie smiled. “Yeah, we could.”

“So, how about we get started tonight? We could go out to the town down the road from the monastery.”

Leonie’s eyebrows quirked. “Well sure, but what purpose would that serve? We wouldn’t be training or studying or anything. I guess we could talk about how we could help each other?”

“Well…” Dorothea intoned. “I think it would certainly be a good way to get to know each other.”

“Yeah, sounds good!” Leonie said. “When do you want to go?”

“I like going in the evening, especially since they’re having a night market today.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting!” Leonie said before she frowned. “But I don’t have much money to spend.”

“Oh, neither do I, but we can take in the sights if nothing else. Maybe get something to eat at least.”

Leonie smiled again. “Alright, sounds great.”

* * *

Tonight was the night of the Officer’s Ball. For weeks, the whole monastery had been athrill about the biggest social event of the year, preparing for the evening with excitement.

Leonie hadn’t really known how to feel about it. It’s not like she hated parties, she enjoyed a good one every now and then, but it was a _ball_. Where snooty nobles talked so much without actually saying anything and flaunted their status and wealth. Leonie wasn’t ecstatic about the idea, given her distaste for such things, but deep down, she knew part of her reluctance was that she’d feel so out of place. She was a commoner after all, and not a wealthy one like Ignatz. She'd grown up dirt poor in a backwater village in Leicester, her world was completely different from that of most of her fellow students’. So not long after the event started, she ended up moving away from the crowds, ultimately finding herself standing on a balcony right outside of the ballroom, looking up at the moon contemplatively.

It’s not like she was really missing anything, she told herself. All they were doing was standing around in a ballroom talking about boring things and occasionally dancing. What was there to miss?

And besides, who would want to spend the evening dancing with her anyway?

“Leelee, what are you doing out here by yourself?”

Leonie looked over her shoulder to see Dorothea walking towards her.

“Oh, nothing,” Leonie said.

“But it’s the Officer’s Ball, surely you want to go back in and have some fun.”

Leonie shrugged and turned to look at the moon again. “Eh, dancing’s not my thing. I’m not exactly the most graceful girl in the world.” Her mind flashed back to a few weeks before when Byleth had tried to convince her to represent their class in the White Heron Cup. It sent a small shiver down her spine.

“I think you should give yourself more credit.”

Leonie huffed bemusedly. “Why?”

“Well, you’re plenty graceful with a spear, and the bow, and on a horse. It’s not that different, really, at least if you reframe it a bit.”

Leonie chuckled. “I think you’re being a bit too generous, Dorothea.”

Dorothea placed a hand on Leonie’s shoulder, prompting Leonie to turn and look at her again. She had that easy, unguarded smile, the one that Leonie had been seeing more and more of as time went on. 

“I’m not, though. It’s easy to work out once you get started, so why don’t you give it a try?”

Leonie sighed. “Even if I wanted to, who would dance with me anyway?”

“Well, anyone that’s extremely lucky, I assume. I wonder if Lady Luck is smiling on me tonight.”

Leonie stared wide-eyed, her face heating up maybe just a bit. Maybe.

“You want to dance with me?” she asked.

“Of course, Leelee.” Dorothea bowed dramatically, resting one arm beneath her chest and holding the other up and out. “It would be my honor,” she said ostentatiously.

Well, if Leonie’s face hadn’t been heating up before, it sure was now. For a moment, she stared at Dorothea, who stood straight again and continued to smile at her. Finally, she realized she was going to have to give an answer sooner or later.

She smiled sheepishly. “Alright, but don’t blame me if I end up embarrassing you.”

Dorothea rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Oh please, as if you could ever do that.” Then, she held her hand out. Leonie looked at it, and then back at Dorothea. Slowly, she took it in her own. Dorothea’s smile grew as she led Leonie back into the ballroom.

([Art by @snazzyred on twitter](https://twitter.com/snazzyred/status/1300883355647373312?s=20))

Once they made it through the crowd and into the center of the room where others were dancing, Dorothea took Leonie’s other hand, brought her close, rested one arm on Leonie’s back, placed Leonie’s hand on her shoulder, and held Leonie’s other hand in her free one. “Just follow my lead. People make it out to be harder than it really is,” Dorothea said. “Probably because nobles want to make themselves feel sophisticated.” Leonie snorted quietly.

“You ready?” Dorothea asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be."

And then, they danced. It was a bit challenging to keep up with Dorothea and read what she was going to do next, but after awhile, it came more naturally, and soon enough, she was enjoying herself. After that, it didn’t take long for the rest of the world to fall away, right now it was just her and Dorothea. All of Leonie’s worries and insecurities were a thousand miles away as Dorothea held her in her arms.

Leonie was glad that she got to attend the Officer’s Academy. She had to fight tooth and nail for it, but here she was. She appreciated the education, the experience, the friends she’d made, but at that moment, this was the best part of being a student at Garreg Mach.

* * *

Never once had Leonie thought this would happen. The idea of battle coming right up to their doorstep, to the place they’d all come to consider home in the past months, had been unthinkable, especially when it was brought by Edelgard, leader of the Black Eagles and newly crowned Emperor of Adrestia.

It was oddly chilling in a way that she couldn’t quite put to words, but she wasn’t in the mindset to really analyze it. The Adrestian army was heading towards Garreg Mach, and they had to prepare as best they could for what may very well be the end of them all.

Aside from Hubert, all the other Black Eagles had stayed behind and earned the ire of Rhea solely because they’d been in the same class. She ordered every Black Eagle current or former to meet her in her audience chamber. Given the way she’d been acting, everyone either felt sorry for the students, was glad that it wasn’t them, or both.

Leonie was certainly both, but more so the first. She stood in the hall not too far from Rhea’s audience chamber, leaning on a nearby wall and drumming the fingers of one hand on it. Of course, she was concerned for all of them. She knew what Rhea was capable of when she’d been crossed. She didn’t think for a minute that any of the other Black Eagles had known anything about it; they all seemed genuinely shocked by Edelgard and Hubert’s betrayal.

Eventually, the doors to the audience chamber opened, and the students slowly walked out. Most of them seemed a bit shaken by the experience, and Leonie wondered exactly what had happened. Not longer after, she saw Dorothea come into the hall. Leonie stood up straight and walked towards her.

“Are you alright?”

Dorothea sighed. “Yes. Rhea questioned us all, but we’re not being punished... For now, at least. Though if you ask me, listening to her raving is punishment in and of itself.”

Leonie’s eyebrows furrowed. “That’s not fair, she can’t just assume you’re all guilty by association! You’re not even in the Black Eagles anymore.”

“Yes, but apparently the church doesn’t agree,” Dorothea replied. “You should’ve seen Rhea, she was _livid_. I have to admit it would’ve been a bit funny if it wasn’t me and my old classmates she was taking it out on.” She sighed. “What on earth is Edie thinking?”

She looked so demoralized that Leonie’s heart broke a bit. She walked towards Dorothea and wrapped her arms around her. Dorothea hugged her back, and they stayed like that for a long time.

“Leelee?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m scared,” Dorothea’s voice sounded so small and unrecognizable.

“Me too, Dorothea. Me too.”

That was the last time they saw each other before the invasion. Everything happened so fast and was so chaotic that Leonie couldn’t afford to let her thoughts wander, she was too busy trying to stay alive. When it became obvious that Garreg Mach was lost, the defenders scattered to the winds, and only when she had put some distance between herself and the monastery did she have time to think about the others. It weighed on her mind heavily as she slowly made her way back to her village, each and every one of her classmates and friends occupying her thoughts, Dorothea among them. Did she make it out? Would she be able to get back home safely? What would happen when she did? Would she be safe in Adrestia?

Leonie didn’t know, and it weighed on her mind for a long time.

Days, weeks, months passed, and Leonie would occasionally think about her friends at the Officer’s Academy. She was able to find out the fates of a few of them, mostly her classmates from Leicester, so that took some of the burden off of her heart, but it was still present nonetheless.

Time went on, life changed. Leonie felt as though she couldn’t just stay in her village when a war was raging, so a few months after returning home, she set off once again, resolving to become a mercenary just like Jeralt and Byleth before her.

* * *

The next five years felt like a lifetime. Perhaps it was the war and the anxiety that ran through the continent, or maybe it was everything that Leonie went through during that time. She did occasionally return home, but her work as a mercenary kept her busy, and she travelled all across the continent.

About half a year before the reunion she and her classmates had all promised to have, she found herself at Fodlan’s Throat working under the command of Holst Goneril. Hilda had (reluctantly) come to support him and upon seeing Leonie, she was overjoyed. They spent a long time catching up, and Hilda asked Leonie if she wanted to travel back to Garreg Mach together for the reunion. She agreed, and they were off.

When they got to the monastery it had been overrun with bandits, but with the help of their classmates, they were able to clear them out. A shock came to them all though, because Byleth accompanied Claude. They were ecstatic to see them, all having heard that Byleth fell into the chasm that ripped through the ground before the Adrestian army, some having witnessed it themselves.

Miracle aside, Leonie was grateful to see her professor and some of her old classmates in one piece. When the battle ended, they made their way back into the monastery, and Leonie started seeing more of her classmates that had been on other parts of the battlefield. Raphael, Marianne, Lysithea…

“Dorothea!”

Dorothea turned to look at Leonie, smiling as she walked towards her.

“Leelee, I’m so glad you’re here!” she said, taking Leonie’s hands into her own.

“I always wondered if you made it out alright,” Leonie admitted. She hugged Dorothea. “I’m so, so happy that I finally know.”

They both knew that they had a long, hellish path ahead of them, but for now that didn’t matter. They were together again.

* * *

Dorothea had known when she decided to join her fellow Golden Deer five years after Garreg Mach was invaded that she would be opposing former members of the Black Eagles. At the very least, Edelgard and Hubert were obvious examples, and she’d known that Ferdinand had joined them despite Edelgard taking away everything his family had. Leonie couldn’t make heads or tales of why in the world he would do something like that and neither could Dorothea, and apparently they would never know.

Leonie was relieved when they’d taken the Great Bridge of Myrddin. They still had the dirty work of burying the dead before them, but still, it was a momentary respite, where they could take a breath and compose themselves before continuing on. But when she saw Dorothea after the battle, looking a bit haunted, that sense of relief flew out the window.

“Dorothea, what’s wrong?” Leonie asked as they met in camp, walking up to her and gently placing her hands on Dorothea’s shoulders.

Dorothea stared at her quietly for a moment as though she wasn’t sure what to say, but eventually, she spoke.

“I found Ferdie.”

Leonie’s eyes widened, but she was silent.

Dorothea took a deep breath before going on. “He- I don’t get it. He was always the first to challenge Edelgard, and he got on Hubie’s case about being so loyal to her. Why did that all change? Why would he die for her in some nonsensical war?” Her eyes began to water. “Why would he just throw his life away like that? Why did he fight me? I didn’t want to kill him, I _really didn’t,_ but-”

Leonie pulled her into a hug. “You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.”

“I killed him Leonie, _I killed him_.”

“It was you or him.”

Dorothea chuckled, weak and bitter. “I guess that should make me feel better, huh? But I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget it.” She took a long, deep breath. “The way the life went out of his eyes, just… It was awful. I’ve seen it before, but it’s never been so terrible to watch.”

“I’m so sorry, Dorothea.”

Dorothea pulled away from her, wiping her eyes. “I… can’t just leave him out there. I have to go back.”

Leonie nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

And thus, Leonie was led to the body of Ferdinand von Aegir, the two women both riding Leonie’s horse as Dorothea pointed out the way. Once they found him, they dismounted. Leonie waited for Dorothea to make a move, but for a long time, she just stared at him, and Leonie rested her arm over Dorothea’s shoulders. At that, Dorothea finally lost control, bursting into tears and sobbing openly. Leonie, who’d only talked to Ferdinand maybe once or twice, didn’t find herself as nearly as affected, but she still shed a few tears in the end. Finally, when Dorothea’s tears had subsided, she wordlessly went over to stand by his feet, Leonie moving to stand by his head. Leonie picked him up by the shoulders, Dorothea supporting his feet, and they put him over the back of the horse, using a few ropes Leonie had brought in her saddlebag to tie him down as best they could. Then Leonie led the horse by its bridle off of the bridge to the Adrestian side, falling in step with the others who were carrying the dead as well.

When all was said and the man was buried a good distance from the main road, Dorothea looked just as haunted, but she didn’t cry anymore. Leonie figured her tears had run out.

* * *

“This really has gone south, huh?” Dorothea asked.

Leonie, sitting on a knocked over tree nearby, looked up at her from polishing her shield. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know. First we defeat Edie, then we find out about these people who live underground and have it out for Fodlandians despite... The thing they’re mad about having happened a millennium ago. And then, after we beat them, it turns out that they revived Nemesis the King of Liberation. But then! He was actually a despot, and the Ten Elites were too. And now we’re going to fight them.”

“Well... Yeah, it is pretty crazy when you put it like that.”

“Sometimes I feel like it’ll never really end, you know? Like there’ll always be someone else waiting in the wings to jump out.” She sighed. “I’m so tired, Leelee. I just want this all to end. Hasn’t everyone been through _enough_?”

Leonie put her shield down beside her and held her arms open towards Dorothea. “Hey, come here.”

Dorothea did so, and the two wrapped their arms around one another, staying like that for a long, quiet moment.

“I’m scared, and I’m tired of being scared.” Dorothea said.

“Me too.”

Dorothea sighed and pulled away from her. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do when the war ends?” The caveat of _if you survive_ hung in the air, but neither of them acknowledged it.

“Nothing special. Go home, then probably get back to mercenary work. You?”

“I enjoyed my time taking care of orphans, and I’d like to go back to it someday, but…” She rested her chin in her hands. “I want to see the world, Leelee. I mean, we’ve travelled a lot, but it was in an army, so we could fight and kill and destroy. I want to see it during peacetime, and not just Fodlan. Claude has really opened my eyes to how big the world is, there’s so much waiting out there, and people have been isolated on this continent for so, so long. I know I’m just one person, but if I could do anything to make it a bit more open, then I’d be happy.”

“That’s really amazing Dorothea,” Leonie said. “Just travelling through Fodlan has really opened my eyes to how much the world has to offer, and it’d be amazing to see more of it.”

Dorothea rested her hand on top of Leonie’s. “Maybe... We could go together?”

Leonie felt her face heat up as Dorothea smiled at her. Dorothea laughed good-naturedly. “You’re so cute when you get flustered, Leelee.” Leonie cast her gaze downward, but Dorothea gently tilted her chin up with her free hand so they were face-to-face again. “You don’t need to be embarrassed around me, though. So what do you say?”

“I…” Finally, Leonie smiled again, holding Dorothea’s hand. “I’d like that.”

Dorothea’s smile grew as she hugged Leonie again. “Now we have something to look forward to, something to get us through the battle.” She pulled away again, frowning slightly. “The battle against Nemesis and the Ten Elites.”

Leonie couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “I don’t think it’s that much of a step up after everything we’ve been through.”

Dorothea gave her a somewhat incredulous look. “Well, if it helps you sleep tonight.” Leonie laughed again, and Dorothea cracked up along with her. Whatever came next, at least they’d have something that they could hope for together.

* * *

As soon as Nemesis was dead, Leonie thought about her friends. She rushed back to camp, her comrades’ fanfare background noise. Her mind was somewhere else. Once she’d returned, she scoured the camp. Every time she found anyone she knew her light heartened, but still, she hadn’t seen someone in particular. She felt worry take root in her heart, but she did her best to stamp it out. She wouldn’t let herself give into it. Only when she was certain of evidence telling otherwise would she allow herself to mourn.

But the longer she searched, the harder it got; she found her resolve being tested more and more the longer she came up empty. Just when she began to wonder if she could stave panic off any longer, she heard a voice call out to her.

“Leelee!”

She turned back towards the source of the voice and immediately, her heart lightened once more. Without another word, Dorothea ran up to Leonie and hugged her tight. Leonie, taken a bit off-guard by Dorothea’s vigor, took a second to process it, but she soon returned the hug.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” Dorothea said.

Leonie smiled. “Same to you, I was worried.”

Dorothea pulled away just enough to smile at her. “Well, we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

As Leonie stared at Dorothea, she slowly began to laugh. Dorothea didn’t seem sure what to make of it, but soon Leonie picked her up bridal style and twirled her around, and after getting past the initial shock, Dorothea began to laugh too.

But soon Leonie had to stop since she was starting to get dizzy, and dropping Dorothea or falling on top of her would definitely be mood-killers. She fell silent and stared at Dorothea, who returned her gaze and her smile.

“It’s really over,” Leonie said. She wrapped her arms around Dorothea and brought her close, reveling in the physical contact and warmth. Dorothea kissed her on the forehead.

“It’s over. Now we can move on together.”

* * *

After the war, Dorothea and Leonie traveled together, exploring the world and taking on mercenary work. Eventually, they settled down and opened an orphanage, with Leonie still taking on occasional jobs. The children in their care adored them both, and the two each considered her wife to be the perfect counterbalance to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and thank you again to snazzyred, I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
